Process of agitating hides or leather scraps



-Sheet 1.

2 Sheets (No Model.)

' 0. W. COOP 5BR PBOGESS 0F AGITATING HIDES 0R LEATHER SGRAPS. No; 400.442.

f 4M 9 I M WW m6 z m W. N 9 A I a a m WITNESSES m modelj cfw. 000mm. PROCESS OF AGII'ATING HIDES OR LEATHER $612 131. 3n

No. 400,442. Patented Apr.

2 I e l3 0 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

; 1 wig/f? UNITED STATES P TENT! ()FFICE.

CHARLES w. ooorER, or BROOKLYN, new YORK.

PROCESS OF-AGITATING HIDES o'R LEATHERiSQRAPS I SPEGIEIOATIOK forming part of Letters Patent No. 400,442, dated April 2,1889.

- Application filed July 6,1888. 8erial 110,279,198. (NomodeL) To an whom it nmy concern:

Beit'known'that 1, CHARLES W. Coornn, acitizen of the United States, residing in the ooklyn, county of Kings, and State of 'New York, have invented an Improved 1 Methodof Treating Hides, Skins or Scraps, in Liquidaof-which the following is a specification.

"In the manufacture of leather from hides} or of. glue from skins or scraps, itis frequently -necessary'to treat said hides, skins or scraps therefrom,

"in-abath of water, or other liquid, either for the piirpose .ofremoving dirt or impurities or for the purpose of chemically "treating the said articles. In the washing operations referred to, or in the chemical treatinent of the said hides,v skins or scraps, it is generally. desirable to constantly or occasiontheyare contained,"and stir'the mass, so as to occasion the presentation. of every part of the hide, and of every piece-of the skinsor scraps treated, to the action of the bath or tothe chemicalstherein contained or to the action of a gas forced into the said bath, and it is also desirable, in processes for the washing of, or the removal of impurities from,hides," skins or scraps, to cause every part'of the:

surface of each of. said articles to come into contact with other pieces of the mass-in order that the impurities on theirsurface's ,inay be,"

mechanically removed thereby.v I-ieretO .Qre in the washing and chemical operations 'i'ncident to the treatment of hides, skins or scraps,

' they have involved various mechanical devices"have been em.- ployed to agitate the mass but most of these devices have been open to the objection that the use of heavy and expensive apparatus, and the ,use of. costly machinery for the transmission of the necessary power.-

The object of my invention is to provide a method by which hides, skins or scraps, in a bath of water or other liquid may, for the purposes above described, be thoroughly, c'onjveniently and cheaply treated, and, generally stated, it consists in feeding air or suitable gas, into and at or near the bottom of, a vessel containing the material to be treated, whereby in the ascent of the air or gas through the body of the liquid, the hides, skins or scraps contained in said liquid are con1- practiced with convenience complicated pletely and thoroughlyas to all their parts exposed to the action of said liquid or to the action of the gas so fed into the tank, and are also rubbed one against the other,all of which results are highly advantageousin preparing the articles specified for the uses to which they are ultimately applied.

Apparatus by the use of which my-inethod may be practiced is shown inthe accompanying drawings,'in which- Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section of an apparatus by which my method may be and eificicncy. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective viewof a modified form of apparatus. Fig. 3 isa'fragmentary perspective view of a modified form of an apparatus. Fig. 4 is a central sectional elevation of still another modified form of apparatus. Fig. 5 is a detail view of a system of air 'orgas-pipes suitable for employment in connection with the apparatus shown in the drawings. v

Similar lettersof reference indicate corresponding parts.

In the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, A is a containingvessel or the inner vessel of the apparatus, (shown as a cylindrical tank,) provided with aslatted or perforated bottom, B,

and with liquid-escape openings (1 at or near its top. The liquid-escape openings, as well as the openings in the slatted bottom, vare of such size as to prevent the escape of the'hides, skins, or scraps treated, and to only permit of the escape of the liquid in which they are contained. A is a second tank, termed herein the inclosing-tank, which as to its sides and bottom surrounds and incloses the inner tank. The relative size of each of the two tanks is such that an annular space, 0, of a given area is formed betweenthe two walls, and aspace,

D, between the bottoms, of the tanks. The

tank'A- is supported within the tank A in any preferred manner, conveniently by being superimposed upon trusses or supporting-bars E, extending across the interior of the tank A near the bottom thereof; Qisa pipe leadand discharging into the tank A. Xisa cock by which the liquid contents of the tanks may be drawn oft. F'is an air or gas pipe entering the tank A at or near the bottom thereof, extending nearly across the same, andproing from any desired source of liquid-supply IOG vidcd with a system of. transverse or other branch pipes, j", which lie beneath and wi thin a space coextensive and coincident with the perforated bottom of the" tank A, and are provided with a number of escape-0rifices, f. G

is an air or gas. force-pump, from which the the tank A and the thorough and ihtimat-e contact of the liquid and the hides or skins. By means of the liquid inlets and outlets the water contained in the tanks A and A is permitted to freely circulate from one to the other. Thus the process is facilitated.

It is obvious that many constructions of apparatus characterized by diversity of form but by unity of principle, might be devised to carry out my method. Thus, for instance, in Fig". 2, I have shown the inner tank A as rootangular and so construct-3d within the tank A that the side and end of thelatter serve as the side and end of the former, the liquid-escape outlets a being formed in but oneside of the vessel A. They may however, if de sired, be formed in the end of said vessel.

Fig. 3 of the drawings illustrate a square exterior tank A", within which the interior tank Av is shown as mounted upon pedestals a and as provided with the usual slatted bottom 15,

and also with a slatted roof or lid I in lieu of the escape outlets a of- Fig. l.

, In Fig. at of the drawings is shown a form of apparatus embodying" a conical exterior tanlnand a conical interior tank the. upper end of which. fits within and is secured to the upper end of the outer tank. The bottom and sides of the inner tank areslatted so that the liquid-escape outlets extend from its top to its bottom.

In the apparatus shown in Fig; i the hides 5 or skins to be treated, and liquid, having been placed therein, the gas or air being forced into the'bottom of the tank through the perforated pipes, which, it is to be remembered, cover only an area coextensive with the slatted bottom of said tank, rises vertically within that portion' of the tank included between the dotted lines a l" and 0 1, shown in said figure, and causes the ascent-of the mass undergoing treatment, the air or gas is freed on reaching the surface of the tank, whereupon the liquid flows toward thatpartof the tank exterior to the part contained between said dotted lines,

returns to the bottom of the tank, and re-eni ters the slatted tank at a point below the material undergoing treatment. g

, It is to be understood that while in the claims I refer to the introduction of air to the mass contained in a tank to elevate it,-the:

word is not to be understood in a literal sense but is to be taken as signifying not only air,

but gases of any character. I

Having thus. described my invention, I claim 1.- The method of agitating or treating hides in liquid, which consists in subjecting said hides in a receptacle, (through orifices in the sides or bottom of which thesaid liquid may flow into and out from a common liquid res-- ervoir), to the action of currents of air introduced withinv and at or near the bottom of said receptacle, as specified.

2. The method of treating hides, or glue scraps, in water or other liquid, in the chemical treatmentthereof, or for the removal of impurities therefrom, which consists in feeding air, or a suitable gas, into, and at or near the bottom of, a vessel containing the mass to be treated, in such manner as to cause the hides or scraps treated to be agitated in contact with each other, and, at the same time, to cause the water or liquid in said vessel to flow or circulate from the upper part of said vessel to the lower part thereof and under the hides or scraps therein, as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have hereunto signed my name this 30th day of June, A. D. 1888.

CHAS. W. COOPER. In presence of- I W. H. WoonHULL,

Aoeus'r HEINE. 

